Tenants have moved into part of an upscale, 289-unit apartment complex along North Mesa on the West Side -- the beginning of a 292-acre community projected to eventually have 4,500 residences of various types in El Paso's first, full-fledged Smart Growth, or New Urbanism, development.

Two of four apartment buildings are open in the multimillion-dollar complex named The Venue at Montecillo. The complex also includes 15,300 square feet of ground-floor retail space -- something not usually found in El Paso apartment complexes.

In addition, the owners of the popular Crave Kitchen and Bar purchased almost two acres along Mesa in the Montecillo development to build a unique retail center of tiny shops and three restaurants they will develop and operate.

REPORTER

Vic Kolenc

"We've had no trouble renting the apartments. The rental market is very strong right now, and this is a very nice product. People like it," said David Bogas, director of development for EPT Land Communities, developer of the Montecillo community, located along the 4900 to 5001 blocks of North Mesa, near Argonaut Drive.

The Venue's first building opened in July, followed by a second one in October. Those buildings with 176 units are almost 90 percent rented, Bogas reported last week. A 73-unit building is set to be completed this month, and the Venue's last 40-unit building is to be completed in January.

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Next up are two different apartment complexes, including a 150-unit complex for active seniors, ages 55 and up, which is scheduled to be completed by the end of next year. Single-family homes, townhouses and possibly condos are part of later plans.

Reuben Orozco, 47, an El Paso interior designer, said having restaurants and stores in the complex are part of what drew him to rent an apartment in Montecillo.

The El Paso native has lived in Austin, California and Mexico, and he's been waiting for El Paso to offer an apartment complex combining top-notch amenities with an urban feel, he said.

"I've been a homeowner and renter. This has the most amenities in every way possible -- not only the location, but everything from trash chutes to the service you get. It's innovative, and to me, state-of-the art," Orozco said. "I hope it opens the doors for other investors to do similar projects."

Montecillo's one- and two-bedroom apartments rent from $730 to $1,312, according to online apartment guides.

Orozco said he has no problem with the rental rates. People will pay for this type of environment, he said.

One of the courtyards at the The Venue at Montecillo featuring a pool and jacuzzi.

The area is definitely urban with its location along busy North Mesa, but it also is surrounded by mountains with great views of Mount Cristo Rey, parts of El Paso, Juárez and colorful sunsets.

Octavio Gomez, Crave restaurant co-owner, said what attracted him and Crave's two other owners to do a project at Montecillo is not only the eventual thousands of people who will live there but also the mountain views.

"It's kind of a feel out of the normal city hustle and bustle -- a refuge for people," Gomez said.

That fits into the Crave owners' plan of creating an inviting gathering place with a "nontraditional retail market" and restaurants, he said.

It will have six buildings with 12,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space clustered around a main courtyard with fountains, trees and sunset views, Gomez said. The retail spots will each be from 200 to 600 square feet, smaller than in traditional retail centers to help incubate new businesses or new concepts, he said. Three unique restaurants will be created for the project, he said.

EPT has several leases and letters of intent for some of the retail spaces on the ground floors of The Venue's buildings, but no names are being released yet, Bogas said.

"We've talked to retailers, restaurants and professional businesses" about the spaces, he said. "There's a gap between Festival and Executive Center," which brings opportunities for additional businesses, he said.

The Venue's four-story buildings have an European architectural influence, Bogas said. They are painted in earthy tones of gold, rust orange, gray and white, with stone on parts of the facades. They have tile roofs and large windows to help capture some of the mountain and city views. The other apartment complexes in the development will have different designs, Bogas said.

Three of The Venue's four buildings are built next to the sidewalk along Mesa, with parking lots at the rear and sides of the buildings, instead of in front as is more common in El Paso. That's one of the Smart Code-type elements incorporated into The Venue, even though the complex was designed and planned before EPT committed to develop the rest of the Montecillo project with the city's 3-year-old Smart Code.

EPT has an agreement with the city to develop Montecillo over a 20-year period. It could receive up to $22 million in city property tax rebates during that time to help pay for streets, parks and other public projects in exchange for using the Smart Code.

The Smart Code is aimed at cultivating more pedestrian-friendly developments with a high density of residential housing mixed with commercial and open-space components.

The entire development is estimated to cost $777 million to build, a city document shows.

Mathew McElroy, director of the city Development Department, said he likes what he's seen so far at Montecillo, and he's expecting things to get better as EPT begins developing the Smart Code parts of the community.

"From my perspective, it's what everyone intended as far as the quality of the architecture, and quality of the place," McElroy said. The master plan, done by California architect Stefanos Polyzoides, a father of the New Urbanism movement, is fantastic, he said.

EPT spent about two years leveling what had been hilly, desert land to make way for the project. An undeveloped, 80-acre piece of the project is located across Mesa from the main property.

Montecillo is next to another 200-acre chunk of land, which Geltmore, an Albuquerque development company, plans to turn into another Smart Code community with retail, office, hotels and residential properties. A Walmart is planned on the site.

The city's McElroy said Geltmore is in the process of completing an access road plan with the Texas Department of Transportation -- something it needs before development can begin, he said.

Bogas said EPT has not yet determined when other housing types besides apartments would start going up in Montecillo. Those will be located on the west side of an arroyo running through the property.

"With the right (economic) environment, we could go across the arroyo next year," Bogas said.

Vic Kolenc may be reached at vkolenc@elpasotimes.com, 546-6421. Follow him on Twitter @vickolencMore information: thevenueatmontecillo.com

Montecillo communityElements of Montecillo community now in the works:

Marketplace: Owners of Crave Kitchen and Bar plan to build a 12,000-square-foot, nontraditional retail market with small shops and three new restaurants on about two acres they bought along Mesa, in Montecillo.